Family holiday costs ‘should fall’ with school break changes

zagfles

tomtontom wrote: »

They tried changing the school holidays in Nottingham and it was met with resistance from both teachers and parents, the logistics of the situation were impossible. Further anyone that thinks such a move would lead to lower holiday prices is deluded - it just means the peak would stretch over an even longer period.

Sorry but this is rubbish as it happens already. Holidays are different in different parts of the country. The Easter holidays here are usually different to down south and we've had some cracking deals on UK holidays down south when we're off but the southern schools aren't. We've also had cracking deals flying from Glasgow in our half term when the Scots were in school.

Plus holidays in Europe are generally much cheaper in the second half of August as a lot of countries go back to school mid August (this applies to DIY holidays rather than packages which tend to be a rip-off thoughout August).

So staggered holidays already make a big difference in prices.

Moto2

"The cost of family holidays at peak times could fall as English schools are given more control on setting term dates..."

........ and Beelzebub has just bought some ice skates

Halle71

It's a free market. Demand and supply.

If the governement is going to intervene and start dictating consumer prices in one market where will this stop? Could they also please take a long, hard look at hairdressing. I mean, why should my haircut cost £65 and my boyfriend's £6.50 when they take roughly the same amount of time? :rotfl:

I have 2 kids so we are now restricted to holidaying in the school holidays but, before we had them, we took advantage of cheap holidays out of peak time. I don't see what is unfair about seasonal price differences.

zagfles

Halle71 wrote: »

It's a free market. Demand and supply.

Which some people seem to have difficulty understanding. Clearly if you reduce demand at particular times by spreading it (eg staggered holidays) you will reduce prices.

If the governement is going to intervene and start dictating consumer prices in one market where will this stop?

They aren't. Not a single MP in the debate last night was in favour of it. See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-26289805

They talked about other options like staggering holidays.

Could they also please take a long, hard look at hairdressing. I mean, why should my haircut cost £65 and my boyfriend's £6.50 when they take roughly the same amount of time? :rotfl:

Well that is an area that the govt do interfere in - it could be seen as sex discrimination!

I have 2 kids so we are now restricted to holidaying in the school holidays but, before we had them, we took advantage of cheap holidays out of peak time. I don't see what is unfair about seasonal price differences.

We still get cheap'ish holidays in the school holidays. It's quite easy with a bit of research.

tomtontom

zagfles wrote: »

Sorry but this is rubbish as it happens already. Holidays are different in different parts of the country. The Easter holidays here are usually different to down south and we've had some cracking deals on UK holidays down south when we're off but the southern schools aren't. We've also had cracking deals flying from Glasgow in our half term when the Scots were in school.

Plus holidays in Europe are generally much cheaper in the second half of August as a lot of countries go back to school mid August (this applies to DIY holidays rather than packages which tend to be a rip-off thoughout August).

So staggered holidays already make a big difference in prices.

Had you bothered to do your research you would find that Nottingham were proposing an entirely different five term system, not the current week either way. This is what the government are proposing for 2015, allowing schools to have completely different term dates.

danjourno

Just let us take our kids out of school once a year for a 2 week holiday!

Whats more important! A nation of educated kids who can never afford to go away with their parents.
...or...
... a nation of happy kids who are able to enjoy time with their hard working parents.

I think depression in teenagers and young adults is being caused by the pressures that parents and government are putting on them.

zagfles

tomtontom wrote: »

Had you bothered to do your research you would find that Nottingham were proposing an entirely different five term system, not the current week either way. This is what the government are proposing for 2015, allowing schools to have completely different term dates.

So more staggering of holidays which will save more people more money by spreading demand even more.

Exactly what I've been taking advantage of for the last 10 years to get cheaper holidays - just more of it.

Moto2

danjourno wrote: »

Just let us take our kids out of school once a year for a 2 week holiday!

Whats more important! A nation of educated kids who can never afford to go away with their parents.
...or...
... a nation of happy kids who are able to enjoy time with their hard working parents.

I think depression in teenagers and young adults is being caused by the pressures that parents and government are putting on them.

Depression in teenagers and young adults is more likely to be brought on by having to go on holiday with their parents

FredaJones

danjourno wrote: »

Just let us take our kids out of school once a year for a 2 week holiday!

Whats more important! A nation of educated kids who can never afford to go away with their parents.
...or...
... a nation of happy kids who are able to enjoy time with their hard working parents.

I think depression in teenagers and young adults is being caused by the pressures that parents and government are putting on them.

There are 14 weeks of school holidays so surely it is possible for "hard working parents" to find some window within that to spend time with their children. And there are weekends and evenings too!


I have fantastic memories of days out and self-catering breaks in the UK with my Mum and Dad and not a single one of them required my parents to take me out of school.


This is about the wants of parents, not the needs of children and some people's values are simply shocking.

tori.k

FredaJones wrote: »

There are 14 weeks of school holidays so surely it is possible for "hard working parents" to find some window within that to spend time with their children. And there are weekends and evenings too!


I have fantastic memories of days out and self-catering breaks in the UK with my Mum and Dad and not a single one of them required my parents to take me out of school.


This is about the wants of parents, not the needs of children and some people's values are simply shocking.

We live in a 24hr society, now most family's have both parents working so already have the difficulty of pairing up leave a lot of industry's don't have 14 weeks, holidays are peak times for a lot of business.
The supermarket I work in has 300 members of staff all on part-time contracts and most want the 12 weeks of the year that falls in with the school breaks requests for 2015 are already in, and I guess this is common elsewhere.

It's the wants of the family not just the parents, I want my children to experience life outside there own bubble my children have been very lucky over the years to see/do things that other will never have the opportunity to do, like my space mad lad watching a rocket being sent into space and getting a chance to look round the VAB building that is once again closed to the public. Something he wouldn't of had the opportunity to do if I had to have waited for dictated school leave. Our holidays dates with our children have always been chosen by events going on in the UK and abroad. life is for living it's too short and opportunities need to be grasped with both hands while it's there as they are soon gone.
We are off to Normandy this year to do the D-Day beaches youngest will lose one day of college for this trip but he will gain a greater understanding of everything time he had learned about this time in history and also from the perspective of the French and US troops, as parents we gain family time without distraction that clutter's life at home.